Back on the Streets
by vintage88
Summary: It's a was joke,the merrygoround was a complete joke.One day Scipio's an adult,the next morning he wakes up a kid again. Back on the street,his new life includes two mysterious girls and the vicious Bloodhound gang.R&R as I've finished!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter1

The early spring morning was cold and damp, but Scipio didn't notice. His whole body was hot with excitement as he used his fingers to pinch his face again.

"Wake up!" he said loudly to himself, only he didn't, and his dark face lit up. _It wasn't a dream!_ It seemed like years had passed being a boring adult, even if it had only been a few weeks. But now, he was a kid again, he was sure of that.

"What happened?" Scipio asked his reflection in the mirror even though it was just as confused as he was. One day he's an adult, the next morning he wakes up as a boy? How could anyone explain it other than the fact that Venice is magical?

Rushing out of the bathroom, Scipio grabbed a large backpack from under his bed. He didn't know how old he was for sure… 15, 16, maybe even 17… all he did know was that this was his chance. His chance to go back to the life he loved; the life of the Thief Lord.

He stuffed the backpack with a few clothes, money, food, and his beloved mask. Finally he took out a piece of paper and pencil. There was no way he could just disappear from everyone's lives: Prosper, Hornet, Bo, Ida… they would all worry too much. But he couldn't tell them he was young again because they would immediately know he would go back to being a thief. Letting out a small sigh, Scipio began to scribble across the paper.

_Viktor,_

_Thanks for much for letting me stay with you, it's been good times. I guess it's just time for me to leave, you know, start my own life. Please don't look for me. This is what I really want._

_Tell the others I'll miss them. _

_Scipio_

It would have to do. There was no way he could give anyone a formal goodbye without them realizing he was a kid again. He would miss them though, so much.

Deciding not to dawdle any longer, Scipio folded up the letter and placed it on the table in the kitchen for Viktor to read when he woke up. Without a glance back, Scipio headed out into the damp morning. It was the kind of damp that chilled him right to his bones, but he told himself to get used to it. At least spring was approaching.

The further away from Viktor's he got, the broader his smile became. His wish had finally come true! At last he was back where he belonged on the streets where adventure and his life waited for him.

At last, it was time for him to really be the Thief Lord

Hornet was the only one in the kitchen besides Ida. It had been the early morning phone call for Ida that had woke her. When Hornet had looked at her alarm clock to see it was only 7:20am on a Saturday, she couldn't help but wonder who was calling. So she sat in the kitchen, trying to be casual and munch on her soggy cornflakes while waiting for Ida to get off the phone.

"Who was that?" Hornet asked the moment the phone had been hung up. Ida turned to Hornet, looking slightly dazed.

"Viktor," she said after a moment as if she had forgotten who she was just talking to.

Hornet eyed her suspiciously, placing her spoon in the bowl and propping up her head with her hands. "Is everything alright?" she asked carefully.

Ida let out an exhausted sigh. "It's Scipio," she whispered, "he's… uh, well he's run off."

"No!" Hornet exclaimed, sitting up straight in her chair, "But if he's run off… does that means he's gone back to being a thief?"

"Well that was what I immediately thought, but Viktor seems unsure about it because Scipio is an adult now. It wouldn't be as easy for him as an adult."

Hornet nodded twice. "It wouldn't be easy," she spoke slowly, "but just because he's turned into an adult doesn't mean he has to act like one."

Ida rubbed her forehead and left the kitchen without a word, leaving Hornet to stare at her mushy cereal. How could Scipio just leave them without saying goodbye? And if something was up, didn't he trust her and Prosper enough to tell them, give some sort of warning? Hornet tried to swallow the lump that rising in her throat. Something was up, she had to look for Scipio. He just had to still be in Venice, he just had to be.

Right?


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter2

Legs dangling over the side of the canal, Scipio pulled a banana out of his backpack. The markets were just starting to get busy in Venice, and when they did he would begin his life as the Thief Lord. His stomach tightened into a tiny knot at the thought of stealing things for real. He had already made the mistake of lying that he was a thief, but now he was going to be a thief. A real one.

Finishing off the banana, a gang across the canal caught Scipio's attention. The canal wasn't wide so he was able to get a good look at everyone. To anyone on the street they would have looked immediately like thieves, but Scipio knew better.

They wore baggy clothes with joints sticking out of the corners of their mouths. They only pretended to be thieves when in real life they were fat spoiled kids who got meals made by their mothers. Scipio was about to turn away from them when someone else in the group caught his eye, someone who didn't seem to belong.

It was a girl.

She was a skinny girl with long, wavy blonde hair wearing a fantastic bright red coat that was made up entirely of pockets. Her tiny waist was wrapped around with one of the boys and she was laughing loudly with them. Scipio watched her for a moment, wondering what she was doing with them, when suddenly the girl's hand slipped into the pocket of one of the boy's jackets. Out her hand came with what looked like a wallet and she slipped it into one of her own pockets.

Scipio's mouth dropped. _She was a thief!_

Just then the girl's porcelain face was staring at Scipio, a tiny smile perched on her peach lips. She nudged her head, signaling to Scipio she wanted him to come over. Scipio hesitated, wondering what she could possibly be up to. At the girl's second head nudge, Scipio jumped to his feet and crossed the bridge, approaching the group. Their voices lowered into nothing the closer they got, and circle formed a line so the six of them could face Scipio.

"Wha' you want?" the one with his arm around the girl said gruffly (he also happened to be the biggest one there).

Scipio froze, because he wasn't sure what he was doing there. He looked at the girl, hopefully to get some sort of answer, but his only response was a wink from her grey eyes. Letting out a sigh, he decided to just go for it. He was a thief after all; they're supposed to have some fun.

"Yeah, this is my girl you're with," he snapped back, "so get your arm out from around her or else."

The biggest one in the group let out a laugh. "Or else?" With that, he took a step forward to take a swing at Scipio's head. Scipio just ducked in time, only to get smacked in the back by someone else in the group. He covered his head, sure that he was going to get beaten to death when the girl suddenly spoke up.

"Hey now," she said, her voice calm and smooth, "this is just ridiculous." She walked toward Scipio and helped him up.

"Gabriella," the big one spoke again, "what do you think you're doing? Get your ass back over here."

Gabriella gave him a wicked look, her eyes almost seeming to turn a darker shade of grey. "Don't you tell me what to do! I can't help it if this boy is more attractive than any of you bastards." She let out a cackle as the group of boys were about to jump on Scipio and her. Grapping Scipio's hand, the two of them began to run at full speed with the gang following them.

"What the hell was that?" Scipio gasped as he ran after her, "Were you trying to get me killed back there?"

"Hey, you were the one who walked over," shot back Gabriella as she glanced over her shoulder. The two of them were smaller and faster than any members of the gang. "I needed some sort of distraction to get away from them and you happened to be just that."

They ducked into an alleyway behind a dumpster. Couching on the ground, they both took in deep breaths until their hearts were at a normal pace. "I'm sure you could have just walked away from them if you wanted to," Scipio scowled.

Instead of responding, Gabriella just shot him a warning glance. "You don't know who those guys are?" she asked a moment's pause. Scipio shook his head, feeling like he was some little kid. "They call themselves the Bloodhounds. You don't want to mess with them."

Scipio rolled his eyes. "Please, if you can hang around them I'm sure I can."

Gabriella just shook her head. "Don't say I didn't warn you." She paused, "Besides, I know what I'm doing. I'm a thief in case you didn't realize."

Scipio grinned. "What a coincidence," he responded playfully. Gabriella looked at him closely, her face hard, trying to see if he was kidding or not. At last she smiled.

"I'm Gabriella," she said, "Not Elle, Ella, just Gabriella."

"Scipio," he nodded, "but you can call me the Thief Lord."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter3

On the backstreets of Venice, filled of deserted, crumbling buildings, narrow alleyways, broken streetlights and nameless streets that seemed to go around in circles, was an empty deli shop. Only those who had lived in this area during its, well, better times would have known it was a deli shop, but that was long ago. To most people it was just a dead building, and would have never expected anyone to be sitting inside it.

Jaymie sat with her back to the greasy wall, knees pulled up to her chest. She had been sitting like that for hours, waiting, waiting. She was always waiting it seemed, her whole life, even before she and Gabriella had run away from home.

"Oh Gabriella," Jaymie's voice came out in such a low whisper that if someone were to be sitting next to her, they wouldn't have been able to understand. But the only person who _would_ have been sitting next to her wasn't.

Gabriella had never returned.

Jaymie had debated on and off whether she should go out looking for her. No doubt she was with some gang like she always was. And yet, Jaymie never moved from her position. The longer she sat there the guiltier she felt about not going after her, but she still never moved.

Just at the moment, the door to the deli shop opened. All the windows to the building had been boarded up, and the light that poured in blinded Jaymie. She jumped to her feet. "Gabriella?" her voice wobbled.

"Hey Jaymie," the familiar voice sang through the small room, bouncing off the room and relieving Jaymie. But she still couldn't help the anger that began filtering through her veins.

"What the hell is wrong you?" she burst, "You promised you were going to be back last night but never showed up. Do you have any idea how worried I was about you? You could have been killed by those gangs you're always flirting with –"

"Shut up," Gabriella shot back, "you're overreacting. If you really cared about me you would be out on the streets looking for me instead of cowering in the dark."

Jaymie swallowed. "Look, all I'm asking is for you to keep your promise and get back on time."

"Don't tell me what to do. Just because you're older doesn't mean you can act like…" Gabriella's voice faded. She and Jaymie both knew she was going to say the word _mom_. She had stopped herself though, because their mom had never been concerned about them. "You don't have to act like you're the boss all the time." She finally mumbled.

Folding her thin arms across her chest, Jaymie rolled her eyes only to catch a figure behind Gabriella. Startled, she gasped. Before she could say anything, Gabriella cleared her throat.

"Oh yeah, this is Scipio."

Scipio stepped further into the dark room, trying to get a better look at Jaymie. She was taller than Gabriella, but just as skinny with red wavy hair. She had the same grey eyes as Gabriella, but while hers sparkled playfully, Jaymie's flashed with anger. The longer he took her in, the longer he felt like he had seen her before.

"Erm… hi Jaymie."

"What's wrong with you Gabriella?" shouted Jaymie, "Who is this? You actually showed him where we live? How could you be so stupid to bring some boy from a gang with you?"

Gabriella just placed her hands on her hips. "He's not from any gang. I met him on the streets today. He says he's the Thief Lord." As she spoke, a dream-like smile spread across her lips almost as if she could hardly believe it.

Hearing that Scipio was the Thief Lord didn't seem to make the situation any better as Jaymie's face darkened. "You actually believe he's the Thief Lord?" she asked coldly.

"Sure. He helped me get away from the Bloodhound Gang and he even has that cool mask I heard about -"

Jaymie's face suddenly changed to a look of shock, maybe even slightly terrified. "You were with the Bloodhound Gang?" The smirk was wiped of Gabriella's face as she realized she had exposed her secret. "What were you doing with them? Gabriella, do you know how dangerous those boys are?"

"Calm down would you?" Gabriella shook her head in disbelief as she reached her hands into the different pockets, picking up the wallets and throwing them on the ground. Scipio counted five. "I know what I'm doing when I'm with them," she said sternly, "because unlike you I actually try to get us money."

The anger from Jaymie's face suddenly melted away, making her look extremely exhausted. It seemed as if she were about to cry. Gabriella looked as if she were going to be sick. "I'm out of here," she said, "see you in a few hours."

With that she stormed out of the building, leaving Jaymie and Scipio alone. Jaymie slid back down the wall into a little ball. Scipio stood awkwardly on the spot. "Maybe I should go after her…" he mumbled pathetically.

"This is all your fault," Jaymie glowered at Scipio.

Scipio snapped back to his normal self. "Hey, don't blame this on me. It's not my fault that Gabriella is doing what she can to get by."

"Yes it is! The reason why we're here on the streets is partially your fault. Gabriella heard about the Thief Lord and thought for sure life would be better being a thief. I had to come with her or else she would do something stupid!"

Scipio stared at her for a moment. "So this is _partially_ my fault? Then what's the other reason you're out here?"

Jaymie's grey eyes were suddenly saucer plates as if he had asked her something personal, like how much she weighed. But then again, wasn't the reason anyone was on the street personal? Scipio held up his hands defensively, "Forget it, I don't even care." That was a lie, but it would have to do.

A heavy silence followed, making the scene more uncomfortable. Jaymie sat on the floor, head in her hands. Scipio continued to stand, wondering if he should sit on the ground as well or make a bolt for it.

"So if Gabriella steals wallets," Scipio asked at last, "what do you do?"

Lifting her head, Jaymie raised her eyebrows at him as if she were surprised he cared. "Me? I'm trying to make a living by singing."

_So that was where he had seen her before!_ Jaymie was the girl who stood at the edge of the market singing, a hat on the ground in front of her hoping to be filled with spare change. Scipio had passed her a number of times when he was an adult and each time he thought to himself, _Wow, what a great voice._ And yet, never once had he bothered to give her any change.

"I suppose you better stay," Jaymie told him, "because Gabriella probably fancies you as you're her hero or something. You'll be the only thing that'll make her come back if you stay."

Scipio nodded twice, taking this as a cue to sit down. As he did, he muttered, "I'm sorry."

Saying this had said this surprised him. What was he sorry about? The fact that he had never given her, the singing girl, money; the fact that the sisters were in a fight; the fact that he was now stuck in a claustrophobic room with a girl who hated his guts? Nonetheless, Jaymie nodded.

"I'm sorry, too." Her whisper was the last sound either of them made for the next few hours, forcing them to sit through the deafening silence.

**Hey!! So here is another one of my fanfics! I would love some reviews. Questions, comments, concerns, whatever, it'll be nice to know someone's reading my story. x0**

**Vintage88**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter4

This was not what the Thief Lord had in mind when he ventured back out onto the streets; sitting in some room that smelt like rotten food? Scipio wanted to be out on the streets instead of hiding out in the room like small child!

"Well, not that this isn't fun," Scipio spoke after what felt like centuries, "but I think I should head out."

Jaymie's piercing grey eyes shot daggers at him.

"Look, I don't know what you want me to do," cried Scipio, "You hate it when I try to talk to you but you won't let me leave. What would please you, oh noble one?"

"Why is everything such a joke to you?" she shook her head in disbelief.

"I'm just trying to lighten the mood alright? Honestly, what do I have to do to make you trust me?" Scipio had never met such a complicated person. He had only been on the street for a couple of hours and was already exhausted.

Jaymie just shook her head again. "You can't do anything," she said bitterly, "you're already here and leaving will only make it worse."

They sat in silence once again and Jaymie's face softened. Obviously she preferred sitting like this, but Scipio just couldn't hold in his question.

"So do you always sit here waiting for Gabriella? What does it take to get out singing to make some of your own money?" Jaymie just shook her head and Scipio clenched his jaw. "And please stop shaking your head, would you? I don't know what you're trying to tell me when you do that!"

At this, Jaymie actually smiled. It was like a miracle. The ends of her full lips curled up in a beautiful, tentative smile. "Obviously you don't have any siblings."

Scipio thought about this. "Well, I guess I could count some as half-siblings," he was referring to Prosper, Bo, and the rest of his old Thief Gang, "we're close in that sort of sibling way."

"What happened to them?"

"Oh… they were given the opportunity for better lives and took it."

"Lucky…" Jaymie hesitated, "So why are you still on the streets then?"

Scipio grinned, "I tried to live the life everyone dreams of, but preferred this life style better."

"You know why I don't go out?" Jaymie asked after a moment.

"Nope."

She took in a breath. "You're going to laugh because when I try to put it in words, it doesn't really make sense. I'm worried that something will happen to Gabriella when she's hanging around with these gangs, and if something does she's going to come back here.

"If she's hurt or being chased, I want to be here when she arrives. I'm worried that she'll come back to an empty building because I'm out on the streets and she won't know what to do. I need to be here for her."

Scipio stared at the red veil of hair because Jaymie's head was tilted to the ground and her hair was blocking any sight of her face. He wanted to ask why, if Jaymie cared so much, she was never out looking for Gabriella, but something stopped him. Instead he said:

"Can I tell you something honestly? I know I hardly know you or Gabriella, but I don't think Gabriella wants you there for her all the time. She likes the thrill of being on her own."

Jaymie snapped her head up, her face filled with pain and anger. "She won't like that thrill so much when one of the Bloodhound Gang decides to threaten her. I'm just trying to watch out for her, because while she was hearing stories of the wonderful Thief Lord and his life full of riches on the street, I knew it wasn't anything like that."

_Here we go again,_ Scipio thought, _I didn't even know them when they ran off but Jaymie is going to blame it on me anyways._

"Look, will you just let me go? I promise to be back in an hour or two." Scipio wasn't tied up or anything, but he felt like he was unable to stand unless he had Jaymie's permission.

"No," she shot him a cold look.

"Please," he begged which was something he hated, "I just need some fresh air. I'll be back in less than an hour, just say I can go."

"Would you just be quiet and sit in here until Gabriella gets back? Suck it up and stop complaining princess."

Scipio had to bite his tongue to stop himself from cursing at Jaymie. So for another hour, the two for forced to glare and glower at each other.

Hornet pulled her oversized sweater closer to her body, surprised at how cold the air was. The marketplace was busy as always, but Hornet knew that if Scipio had gone back to being a thief he would be here. A cold breeze hugged Hornet and she shoved her hands in the pockets of her sweater, brushing against something unfamiliar.

A _hand_?

Snapping around, braids smacking her in the face, Hornet stood facing a girl holding her wallet, Hornet's wallet. The girl was about to make a bolt for it, but Hornet was quicker. Her hand snapped out and grabbed the girl's wrist. The thief's face was covered in horror.

"Look, take your wallet," the girl said, her grey eyes flashing frantically, "take it back. It didn't feel like there was much in there anyways." She added and a mischievous smile crawled over her mouth.

Her face hot, Hornet snatched the wallet out of the girls hand but didn't let go of her wrist. Panic replaced the girl's smirk. "Look," Hornet told her sternly, "I'm not going to turn you into the cops. Just tell me your name." The girl tried to squirm out of Hornet's grasp but was unsuccessful.

"Just tell me your name," Hornet softened her tone but tightened her grip on the girl's wrist.

"Gab – Gabriella," she winced as Hornet finally let go. Gabriella, instead of making a dash for it, began to examine her wrist as if she were afraid it may have been broken. Hornet felt only a little guilty about hurting her, but she was on a mission.

"Can I ask you something?"

Gabriella shot her grey eyes up at her. "You said you just wanted to know my name."

Hornet ignored this. "Gabriella, I need to know if you've met or heard of anyone called the Thief Lord." She spoke slowly, watching Gabriella's face for any signs.

"Well, of course I've heard of him," she arched her eyebrow, "everyone's heard of the Thief Lord."

"Yes but have you seen him?"

"Why should I tell you?" Gabriella smirked, "How do I know you're just not going to turn him into the police or something."

Annoyed at this girl, Hornet had to stop herself from slapping her across the face. "Look, I would never turn him in. I wouldn't turn any thief in. I used to be a thief which is why I didn't call the cops on you, either."

"Hmm, you _used_ to be a thief? Well, what makes you think Scipio would want anything to do with you, some ex-thief because you decided to give up?" With that, Gabriella spun around on her food and ran off, her fiery red jacket made up of pockets flying behind her.

Hornet stood there, feeling hurt, but not feeling completely hopeless. She knew that Gabriella knew where the Thief Lord was. How?

Gabriella made the mistake of calling the Thief Lord by his real name.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter5

The door of the old deli creaked open hours later and Gabriella walked in.

"You're still here!" her face lit up at the sight of Scipio, "I would have thought Jaymie would have driven you out."

Scipio shook his head. "No, it was actually Jaymie who made -" but he never got to finish his sentence because he was cut off. Cut off by Jaymie.

"I'm off," she jumped to her feet, "I'll be back in a little bit, but I'm singing in the market if you need me or anything."

Gabriella scowled. "You actually think I would go looking for you?"

Slapped by Gabriella's cold words, Jaymie stood by the door as if she had forgotten what she was about to do. She fiddled with the hat in her hands, and broken smile on her face. Scipio shot a look to Gabriella, but she was glaring at the ground.

"You both better be here when I get back," Jaymie said at last, her face back to its normal hard look, "Even you Scipio." With that she made a dash out of the door.

"What am I, a babysitter?" Scipio cried in annoyance.

Right then, out of the blue, Gabriella was sitting next to Scipio on the ground. She had snuggled up to him, her chin on his shoulder so she could whisper in his ear.

"You don't really think I'm going to listen to her, do you? I have a free life to live and so do you. Jaymie just doesn't get that and thinks she can shower us with rules. Let's get out of here, you could use some sunlight."

As tempting as Gabriella's offer sounded, Scipio couldn't bring himself to stand up. "Look, Gabriella," he groaned, "I want to go outside as much as you do, but your sister sort of has a thing against me. I need to stay on her good side to get her to trust me."

"Fine," Gabriella pouted, "you can stay here by yourself like the good little boy you are… Or you can come out with me. I promise we'll be back before Jaymie." She paused, smirking at Scipio as he tried to choose the right decision. "Oh I know," she cooed, "peer pressure is so unfair, isn't it?"

"Just a little," Scipio grimaced. Gabriella was getting too close for comfort, and the only way he could shake her off without offending her was by standing up, which meant…

"Alright," Scipio got to his feet, "let's get out of here."

Gabriella winked at him. "That's my boy."

The wind was fairly calm that day which let the sunlight soak into the skin of others. It was the first time it had felt comfortably warm outside in months and people weren't going to let this day go to waste. By the afternoon the marketplace was swarming with people, making it easy for someone's hand to _accidentally_ slip into the pocket of another's jacket.

"Who carries a Swiss Army Knife in their pocket?" Gabriella asked as she stared at it intently. She was chewing on a pear Scipio had snatched for her only a little earlier. "Doesn't that make you feel safer now Scipio, knowing that one less person in Venice is carrying a knife around?"

"You mean now that _you're_ carrying the knife around?" Scipio asked playfully, "Not really."

Gabriella giggled. "Oh, by the way, someone's looking for you."

Scipio's whole body tensed. "W-what do you mean? Who's looking for me?"

"Not really sure," Gabriella shrugged as she took another bite out of the fruit, "some girl asked me today if I knew the Thief Lord. She had really long braids and enormous eyes…"

_Hornet_. Scipio knew immediately it was her. "What did you tell her?"

"Relax, would you Scipio? I didn't give away your hiding spot. Please, why would I tell some ex-thief where you were staying? I'm not an idiot like Jaymie is."

Scipio shook his head in disbelief. "I don't get it," he said before he could stop himself, "why can't you just get along with Jaymie? She's your sister after all."

Gabriella rolled her eyes as she tucked a blonde lock behind her ear. "It's because she's my sister that I can't get along with her. She's too overprotective about everything. I can't stand her sometimes."

"You shouldn't take her for granted though. You're lucky to have her looking out for you -"

"Look, can we ple-e-e-ease not talk about Jaymie?" Gabriella begged as she clutched Scipio's arm, "She's just so boring and…"

Suddenly Gabriella's voice dropped as if someone had come up from behind and covered her mouth. Scipio couldn't help but smile, glad that his ears could have a rest from her shrill voice. But as he turned to look at her, his smile evaporated. Gabriella's face was covered in terror.

"Scip-Scipio, we have to get out of here." She whispered, "We have to leave now… it's Marco."

Although Scipio didn't know who Marco was, he began to scan the crowd. "What's wrong?" he asked frantically, "Who's Marco?"

"Look, Scipio," Gabriella took off her long red jacket and flipped it inside out so that now its black interior was showing (it was quite smart actually), "I don't really have time to explain anything to you right now. We just have to get out of -"

"Gabriella," Scipio took a hold of her arms, "just tell me. Who is Marco?"

She looked up at him, terror written all over her face. "Marco," she whispered, "he's from the Bloodhound Gang, and he's after me."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter6

"Help me Scipio," she whispered. Gabriella's face, although it seemed impossible, was even paler than usual. The sparkle had died in her eyes and seeing her like this almost terrified Scipio.

Scipio nodded. "Marco," he repeated the Bloodhound Gang member's name, "which one is he?"

Gabriella had hardly pointed before Scipio spotted him. He was tall and muscular with a shaved head and ghostly pale blue eyes. A large tattoo covered the top of his head, made up of three words wrapped around with a snake inching down Marco's neck.

_Bambino di D__iavolo_

The market was crowded, but a ring of space surrounded Marco as people tried to avoid him.

"_Bambino di Diavolo_," Scipio read, "The Devil's Child?" As if he had said his name, Marco snapped his head around, spotting Gabriella cowering behind Scipio. He began to move his way across the crowded market towards them.

Scipio gripped Gabriella's arm. "We have to move." he said quickly. His dark eyes open and ready, Scipio made a bolt for it as he dragged Gabriella behind him. "Is he following us?" he asked.

Gabriella turned her head around just in time to see Marco knock over a stand of vegetables as he chased after them. "Yes!" she squeaked, and Scipio felt her grasp his hand tighter.

"Why are… you running from… him?" Scipio asked, breathing hard as he did his best not to collide into anyone.

"He lent me… some money… only I never intended… to pay him back."

"I'm not surprised," Scipio rolled his eyes.

"Only he wants… it back…" Gabriella continued, "and I was s'pose… to give it to him… earlier today… but I ran for it… when you came."

"He also probably knows it was you who stole everyone's wallets." Scipio added on as he made a sharp turn. Gabriella didn't answer; her words were stuck in her throat.

Scipio had led them into an alleyway.

"Gabriella," a raspy voice came from behind them. The two of them turned to face Marco. His chest was rising up and down as he took in deep breaths with his arms slightly outstretched, letting them know they couldn't escape.

"Gabriella," he said again, "it's been a week. I need my money back."

"Marco…" she began cautiously, but Gabriella didn't know what to say.

"I've given you plenty of time." Marco continued, "You said you'd have it all by now – "

"She doesn't have it," blurted out Scipio. Marco looked at him for the first time as if just noticing he was there. "Look, just give her a few more days."

"A few more days?" Marco's chuckle made the hairs on the back of Scipio's neck rise, "The last time I gave her a few more days, the bitch stole have of my gang's wallets." He turned back to Gabriella, "So I'll be wanting those back too Princess… now."

He began taking slow steps towards Scipio and Gabriella. They automatically inched backwards, deeper and deeper into the alleyway. Gabriella let out the tiniest whimper as Marco began listing things he would do to her unless he got his money. Scipio didn't hear any of it. He was too distracted by the old fire escape crawling up the alleyway's walls.

The fire escape went up three floors high with one door on each floor. Scipio pulled Gabriella closer as they continued to back into the alleyway. _One of those doors just has to be unlocked_, Scipio thought. If not, maybe they'd be able to push Marco off…

Without any warning, Scipio made a dash towards the fire escape, still clutching tightly onto Gabriella's arm. She followed along easily, just like Scipio was dragging a doll. Still caught by surprise, it took Marco a moment to realize what was going on. By the time he reacted, Scipio and Gabriella were at the first door.

Scipio cursed under his breath when he was unable to open the door. The two of them sprinted up the next flight of rusty steps, hearing Marco slip and fall while trying to catch up to them. Gabriella tried to open the second door with no luck, forcing them to go up to the third door.

Heart pounding, Scipio yelled, "Come on, open!!"

The tiniest sound of a _click_ was all he needed. Bursting the door open, he shoved Gabriella into the tiny apartment. A woman nursing a child let out a bloodcurdling scream and man who must have been her husband jumped off the couch.

"We know, we know," Scipio said rapidly still pushing Gabriella across the apartment, "we'll be going."

"Sorry," Gabriella added quickly as she opened the apartment door and started running down the hallway. As Scipio slammed the door behind him, he caught a glimpse of the man hitting Marco in the back with a wooden stool. That was all they needed.

They could hear Marco thumping down the stairs above them, but by the time he had gotten outside, Scipio and Gabriella had vanished, disappearing into the crowded market.

"How much do you owe him?" Scipio and Gabriella, after checking to make sure they weren't being followed, were sitting on the dusty floor of what was their home. Gabriella had curled up into a tiny ball, snuggling closely to Scipio. As much as he just wanted to shove her away, Scipio let her stay put.

"More…" Gabriella hesitated, "more money then we have." She sat up, looking Scipio in the eye. "We needed it badly. It was before I started stealing money from different gangs, and Jaymie was hardly making any money by singing."

After a moment, Scipio said sternly, "You should tell Jaymie. Tell her what's going on with you and Marco. She'll listen, she'll find a new place for you to live and you'll be able to put him and the Bloodhound Gang behind you."

Gabriella just shook her head. "No, no we can't tell Jaymie. She'll get all angry at me and will never hear the end of it." She paused. "Besides, it's the only way I know how to get money. If we move somewhere else I'll just end up in some different gang."

"But Jaymie deserves to know –"

"No," Gabriella said again as she stood up, "no I'm not going to tell her and you're not going to tell her. It'll just be a secret, a secret between the two of us. Jaymie doesn't need to know anything." With that Gabriella walked towards the counter in the room, opening and closing drawers until she had found what she wanted.

"I'm going to fix this," she told Scipio, "I'll get the money to pay Marco back. I-I just need some extra time. And because Marco knows what I look like…" she approached Scipio, holding a knife in her hand, "well, I'll need to pretend to be someone else."

Scipio took the knife, knowing what Gabriella meant. She sat down on her knees, her back to Scipio. "It doesn't have to be like this," he said, "are you sure…"

Gabriella just nodded, and Scipio sighed. He took a look at Gabriella's long, blonde locks cascading down her back. Raising the blade, Scipio began cutting away her hair, letting it fall silently on the floor, until he was done. Gabriella ran her hand over the messy, jagged boy cut.

"Thank-you." She whispered, and curled up into a tiny ball, her shoulders shaking ever so slightly.

Scipio stared at her, unsure of what to say. The only sound was of the wind outside, whistling as it picked up speed. At last, he silently picked up the long strands of hair and took them outside to pass them onto the wind. They slipped out of his hands and off the blonde locks went, and just like that, they vanished.

Vanished, just like Gabriella would unless something could be done, soon and fast.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter7

He had been sitting in the marketplace, listening to her for some time. She had been there since the early afternoon. Now, the market had begun to empty and the sun was hanging lower in the sky, casting long shadows, yet she was still singing. Deciding that he would have to be going back soon, Prosper got up from the bench he was sitting on and walked towards her.

He stopped once he reached the floppy hat that lay in front of her. Taking a bill out of his pocket, he bent down and placed in the hat. The moment the bill touched the fabric, she stopped singing. Prosper snapped up.

"Oh no," his eyes were wide with embarrassment, "I-I'm sorry. Should I have waited until you were finished your song? I just meant… I didn't mean for you to stop…"

Prosper faded when he noticed the singer was smiling a tired, faint smile. Her grey eyes sparkled at him. "I thought I would be returning home empty handed," she whispered, "thank you."

Prosper felt his face redden. "Oh i-it was nothing. I mean you're wonderful at singing… it honestly made my day a whole lot better."

She stared down at tiny Prosper. "That's sweet of you to say," She spoke softly, "but I only wish I could say the same for me." Letting out a sigh, she sat down on the cobblestone. Intrigued, Prosper sat down across from her.

"I used to love singing," the stranger admitted to him, "but I never imagined I would have to sing like this… giving free shows to those who pass by. Most people don't give me a second glance… or a first glance," she added glumly before sighing, "I'm Jaymie."

"Prosper," he nodded, his blonde hair falling gently in his face as he stared at the hat that would have been empty if it weren't for him. He glanced back up at Jaymie, whose eyes were on the hat as well. She looked exhausted, but at the same time Prosper could tell she was troubled.

"You know," Prosper said without thinking, "if I could I would sing for you." He froze, embarrassed about what he had just said. "But only because your singing made me feel better," he quickly added on, feeling his face redden.

Jaymie looked at him, feeling her whole body smile at how adorable he was. "I'm glad I helped." She hesitated, "What happened that made you feel so…"

"Sad?" Prosper finished for her, "Someone I knew disappeared. I guess he's just run off again, but I wish he could have given us some warning, given us an excuse." Prosper stopped to take a breath, feeling anger run through his veins. "I mean we treated him as though he were family, as though he were my brother. And I know he's been through a lot and probably wishes he had never gone on that stupid merry-go-ground, but just vanishing…"

Prosper stopped, feeling a lump begin to rise in his throat. Swallowing, he said darkly, "He could be dead for all I know."

Jaymie nodded seriously. Pushing a red strand of hair out of her face, she began, "I may not know anyone who's disappeared, but she may as well. My mom… she had this boyfriend and, well it was my sister who decided to run off. I had to follow her because I couldn't stand not knowing what would happen to her."

She let out a worn out laugh, "I guess it was kind of stupid though, because now that we're here I still hardly know what's going on with her. She's just… off all the time, doing her thing and will hardly talk to me. When I try to do what's best for her she just pushes me away. So now she's off with the Bloodhound Gang – "

"Whoa," Prosper sat up straight, "the Bloodhounds? I've heard about them. She really shouldn't be near them."

"You think I don't know that?" Jaymie cried, her eyebrows raised helplessly, "I try stop her but she won't listen. I don't know what to do, I don't know how to get her to stop messing around with them."

Prosper had to be more than a couple years younger than she was, but Jaymie couldn't stop. She couldn't stop belting her heart out. Perhaps that's what happens when you meet a stranger who will listen to you…

"I'm so scared," she finished quietly, "all the time I'm so scared for her."

"You know," Prosper said after a moment of collecting his thoughts, "your sister is really lucky. Most people in your position would be more scared for themselves if they knew someone relating with the Bloodhounds. Your sister is lucky that you care so much.

"I know this will sound hard, but you really have to talk to her. You have to explain why she can't act the way she's acting any longer. You have to get her to understand."

"And if she doesn't?" Jaymie asked, her grey eyes wide and terrified. She couldn't believe how mature and _helpful _Prosper was being for someone so young. "If she doesn't understand?"

Prosper scratched his head, his face frowning. "Then you'll have to start taking care of yourself and get out of there. The Bloodhounds are sneaky; they probably know you're her sister. The long you're with your sister, the more you're putting your own life in danger."

Jaymie's fell open. "But I can't leave. I can't just leave my sister like that."

"Then you _have_ to get her to understand." Prosper's face was twisted, almost as if it hurt him to admit the truth.

Because that's what it was: the truth. As much as Jaymie wanted to get up and leave, pushing Prosper's words out of her head, she knew he was right. She had always known what he was saying, but her own thoughts didn't seem to hit her as hard as Prosper's words did.

Smiling, Jaymie placed her hand on his own tiny fist to make sure he knew she understood. "You know Prosper," she spoke gently, "for a stranger you're really not that strange."

Prosper's face beamed.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter8

The darker it became, the faster Jaymie ran. She did not want to be out after night had settled in, not after what Prosper had said. His words had left her haunted, but at the same time left her wiser and more aware of the situation she was in.

She burst through the door. "Gabriella –" she exclaimed, but stopped when she caught sight of the two of them. They were sitting next to each other, but with a good distance between the two of them. Scipio had his chin cupped in his hands, looking gloomier than ever, and Gabriella looked… well, like a boy.

Nonetheless, she was still incredibly beautiful.

"Gabriella," Jaymie whispered, almost afraid to speak, "your… your hair…"

"Is gone," Gabriella finished the sentence as she looked at the floor, "I know. I had Scipio cut it for me. It was just getting too long and was in the way of everything."

"But your clothes… where's your jacket? Whose are you wearing now?"

"They're Scipio's. I was cold and he had warmer things to wear in his bag."

Speechless, all Jaymie could do was stare at her sister, who was avoiding her glance. Gabriella had on a pair of grey pants much too baggy for her, which was only staying on with a belt made out of an old piece of rope she must have found. A brown sweater seemed to drown her, and without her long wisps of blonde hair Gabriella's face was hallow and… empty.

"You could have at least waited for me to come back," Jaymie let out an awkward laugh, "I would have been able to cut your hair better than Scipio had."

Gabriella finally looked up at her, scowling, and Jaymie couldn't help but notice leftover streaks from tears falling down her cheeks. "Please, he did it with a knife. I know you wouldn't be able to do much better."

Her cold words smacked Jaymie awake. With two long strides, she had reached Gabriella and sat down on her knees in front of her.

"Gabriella," she said sternly, "I need you to listen to me and I need you to listen hard. You have to get your act together and – look at me Gabriella!"

"Why?" Gabriella shouted, "So you can boss me around until I'm some fucked-up puppet you control? You're just like mom –"

"Don't you _ever_ talk to me like that again. Ever!"

Shaking his head in disbelief, Scipio jumped to his feet. "This is ridiculous," he said. His voice wasn't loud, in fact it was strangely cool and smooth, and yet it shut the two sisters up.

"Look Gabriella," he began, keeping calm, "you need to grow up, okay? Jaymie is just trying to talk to you; you don't even know what she's about to say but you just shut her out anyways. Maybe she…" he paused, not wanting to give anything about the Bloodhounds away to Jaymie, "maybe she'll be able to give you some good advice."

Gabriella gave him a vicious glare, forcing him to turn. Scipio caught Jaymie's eye, and for the first time she looked glad he was there, almost thankful. Jaymie turned back to her sister. "I need to talk about you and the Bloodhound Gang –"

"Of course you do," Gabriella said bitterly, "it's always about me, isn't it? It's been like that my whole friggin' life. It's so easy to point out what people do wrong and I seem to do it a whole lot. When you talk to me, when mom talked to me, when her drunk-ass boyfriends talked to me it was always on how I could improve."

Gabriella jumped to her feet and jabbed her bony finger into Jaymie's collarbone.

"But it was never about you," she hissed, eyes watering, "you would never let it be about you. You always had your stupid, immature baby sister who you could easily shove all fault on. But it's not going to be like that anymore. I'm going to fix it, fix everything."

Bending over, Gabriella picked up the wallets that had been untouched since she had thrown them on the floor earlier that day. Grabbing her coat she disappeared out the door, ignoring Jaymie's shrill cries.

"Gabriella," Jaymie ran after her, almost getting her nose smacked off by the closing door. "Gabriella… Scipio what did she mean? I don't understand. Fix what, what does she need to fix?"

Terrified, she flung around to find Scipio right behind her. Unable to stand up, she grabbed onto Scipio's shoulders for support, her grey eyes staring into his dark ones. The longer Scipio stared at her, the more he gave in, and soon he was spilling the secret Gabriella had so wanted him to keep.

-

The night was cold enough without the wind, and Gabriella's ears were freezing. She was used to having her long hair block them, but most of her neck and ears were naked.

Fumbling with the wallets as she stumbled down the cobblestone streets, she swiped away one rolling tear. Gabriella stopped running when she dropped one of the wallets. As she picked it up and began stuffing them into her pocket coat, she heard a noise coming from a nearby alleyway.

They were here. Now was her chance, her chance to fix everything she had screwed up. Rubbing her face until she was sure it was dry, Gabriella took in a few deep breaths and tried to make her new boy-cut look better. Maybe if she were lucky, they would still find her attractive…

She took a few steps until she reached the alleyway. At the back was a garbage can with flames inside of it, surrounded by a few, tall silhouettes. He had to be here, he just had to be. Standing at the entrance of the alleyway, Gabriella tried to sound like her confident, flirtatious self.

"Hey," she called, "hey Devil's Child."

All was silent, and for a brief moment Gabriella was worried he wasn't even there. But soon footsteps drawing nearer echoed off the brick walls as he approached her. Stepping into the moonlight, Marco stood only a few feet away. A mix between a smirk and a sneer curled across his thin lips as his raspy, snake-like voice produced one word, saying each syllable carefully.

"Gabriella…"

**A/N: believe it or not, the end is getting near. You may be surprised at what happens, so stay tuned!!**

**x0**

**Vintage88**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter9

"I don't get it, she's so stupid, so unbelievably stupid. She doesn't even think!"

Scipio had to resist the urge to cover his ears with his hands. What he found so unbelievably stupid was the fact that Jaymie still thought low of her sister, even when it was obvious something bad could happen to her. After Scipio had poured out what had been going on with Gabriella, Jaymie insisted that they look for her. For a couple minutes she even looked worried, but that was soon covered irritation.

"Look," Scipio tried again to calm Jaymie down, "she made a mistake, and she really felt guilty about it. If only you had heard her –"

"But I didn't hear her," Jaymie stopped walking and snapped her head around to face Scipio, her thick red hair slapping her in the face. It was only now that Scipio realized Jaymie was actually taller than him, making it seem as if all the other times he had seen her she had been slouching. The only light was from he moon, but as he looked slightly up at her, Scipio could tell she was angry.

"I didn't hear a word she said," Jaymie scowled, "because she doesn't tell me anything! The only reason she wanted to come out on the streets is because she heard stories of the _oh, so amazing Thief Lord, _and then you suddenly showed up making the whole situation worse."

"So again, it's my fault that we're out here looking for you sister?" Scipio asked flatly, hating that he was being accused.

Jaymie sucked in her breath and dropped her eyes to the cobblestone street, and Scipio wondered if she had finally realized her mistake. After a moment of silent, Jaymie lifted her head back up and yelled, "GABRI---"

That was all she got out. The last two syllables of Gabriella's name were cut off by a loud, earsplitting _CRACK. _Jaymie had grabbed onto Scipio's arm while Scipio bent his knees, getting ready to run. Neither of them moved though, and there they stood, frozen.

Off in the distance, someone let out a desperate gasp and Scipio and Jaymie looked to where the sound had come from. Suddenly a silhouette appeared in the moonlight, stumbling backwards. From the outline of chopped hair and the flow of a long coat, they both knew it was Gabriella.

Nose flaring with anger, Jaymie took a step closer. "Gabriella," she shouted, "what the hell is wrong…" But Jaymie's voice quickly dropped as the silhouette suddenly collapsed on the street.

Scipio was the first to react. While Jaymie was still too shocked to move, he sprinted to the spot where Gabriella had collapsed. Dropping down onto his knees, he gently lifted Gabriella up onto him. Something wet covered his hands.

Blood.

Eyes widening in horror, Scipio suddenly realized that Gabriella was bleeding uncontrollably. Letting out a cry, he took off her jacket to find a bullet wound in her chest.

He was suddenly shoved to the side by Jaymie with unbelievable strength. "Get away from her," she hissed, her whole body shaking as she pulled Gabriella onto her lap. "Gabriella? Gabriella, wake up. It's okay, you're going to be fine, wake up. Gabriella?!"

For a brief moment, Gabriella's thick eyelashes fluttered and her eyes opened. "Jaymie…" she wheezed, her breathing slow and heavy.

"Jaymie…" a raspy voice echoed out of the alleyway, "so that's your name. I tried to get it out of Gabriella, but she would tell me." Chuckling, Marco walked into the blue-ish light, making his face look a sickly green. In his hands was a smoking gun. He was accompanied by two other members of his Bloodhound Gang, just as tall and muscular as he was.

Scipio got up to his feet. "Get out of here," he snapped, sounding more confident that he felt, "You've done enough haven't you?" He pointed to Gabriella on the ground as if he were afraid that Marco would have forgotten the girl he had just shot.

Marco let out his low, wicked laughed again and shivers ran up Scipio's back. "Have I really done enough though?" he asked as his lips curled into a smirk, "After all, one can never do enough, especially after what happened to me when I chased you through that apartment."

"Well I guess you know not to chase me," Scipio let the words slip out before he could stop. Marco's smirk was gone like that and one of his pale eyes twitched.

"You asked for it," he hissed as he raised the gun – not at Scipio, but at Jaymie. She was covered in her sister's blood, face wet with tears. She looked at Marco, not even caring that a gun was being pointed at her head. The only emotion she was showing was hatred.

"I'll kill the girl," Marco continued, "and you can watch her die just so you know how much you screwed everything up for them."

He loaded the gun and a loud sound erupted. Jaymie winced and Scipio let out a cry. The sound continued, sounding different then when he had shot Gabriella. It took everyone a moment to realize that Marco had never shot the gun. The sound wasn't one from a gun, but of a…

"Shit!" Marco yelled, "That's a siren." Without another word, he and his gang members bolted for it, vanishing in the dark.

Scipio continued to stand there for a second, still confused on what had happened. He was shaking uncontrollably and wasn't sure if it was from the cold or the fact that he was terrified.

He turned back to the sisters. Gabriella hadn't moved, her breathing slowing down. Her long hair should have been spilling out on the street, but it wasn't.

"She didn't need me to cut her hair…" Scipio mumbled to no one in particular. "Come one Jaymie, we have to get her help. We have to take her to a hospital or something… find someone –"

"Scipio…" Gabriella suddenly whispered, her mouth redder then it should have been, "Jay… so sorry…" Her words came out even lower than a whisper and Scipio realized he had dropped down to hear her. Then, just like that, her heavy breathing stopped and her body went limp, the only sound now was the approaching sirens.

Jaymie gasped. "No," she said, her voice getting louder, "no, n-n-no, Gabriella. Gabriella wake up, wake up!" She began shaking her sister as if she thought it would suddenly make her come back, "Stop Gabriella, Gabriella. No, no, no…"

"Jaymie?" Scipio lightly touched her shoulder but Jaymie reacted as if she had been slapped.

"Get away from me!" she shrieked, tears falling even harder, "Get away from me and my sister. This is all your fault and now she's… now she's…."

Scipio felt his throat tighten. "No, Jaymie I didn't do this. Don't blame this one me, it was Marco-"

"Get away!" Jaymie's voice suddenly dropped down to a hiss as a wicked idea struck her. "The cops are coming," she warned him, "if you don't get out of here I'll tell them you shot her. I'll tell them you killed her."

"Jaymie…" Scipio shook his head in disbelief, but as Jaymie's cold eyes stared at him, he knew she was serious. His throat tightened so that it made it hard to breathe, and Scipio knew he had to get out of there. Whole body shaking, he began to run.

The streets were empty and his footsteps echoed loudly off the brick walls, drowning out the sound of the sirens. He ran across bridges and through narrow streets, going to the only place he could think of. It was early in the morning, but he didn't know where else… couldn't think….

He pounded on the door loudly, squeezing his eyes shut to stop himself and trying to swallow the rising lump away. Scipio continued to pound on the door because he didn't have any other energy to call out. He knocked and banged and pounded on the thick wooden door until he thought he would collapse.

It wasn't opening, no one was coming. Breathing hard, he leaned against the door. The moment he did though, the door flew open and he crashed on the carpeted floor at someone's feet.

"Scipio!" Ida let out a cry. He could hear more people approaching him, but he wasn't able to move.

"Scipio's back?" was that Hornet or Bo…

"But he's… he's a kid!" cried out someone who sounded like it might be Prosper.

So confused, Scipio rubbed his face with his hands, still lying on the ground.

"I'm sorry," he whispered as the tears began to fall, "I'm sorry…. So sorry…. So sorry…. So sorry…."


	10. Chapter 10

A/N – so this is the end, the last chapter of Back On The Streets. Hoped you liked it!!

x0

Vintage88

Chapter10

Scipio sat in Ida's kitchen, playing with his oatmeal with a spoon. He had been back, living with everyone for a week… or had it been more? He really had lost track of the days since the night Gabriella had been shot… been killed.

He had told everyone what had happened and they had been supportive, telling him nothing was his fault. Yet he couldn't felt guilty about, well, everything. Plus he still felt guilty about worrying everyone. It was strange to think that the day when he had gone back to being the Thief Lord had only lasted a day.

It seemed like the longest day of his life.

Hornet sat across from Scipio, her enormous brown eyes watching him carefully. Prosper was doing the same as he tried to eat his oatmeal as quietly as possible. The three of them were the only ones in the kitchen.

"Hey Scipio?" Hornet asked timidly, "Can I tell you something?"

After Scipio had admitted to what had happened with him and the sisters, everyone had been careful not to mention it again unless Scipio wanted to bring it up. But after a week, Hornet couldn't help but tell him.

Scipio nodded, brushing his chaotic hair out of his eyes. "Sure," he responded flatly.

Hornet hesitated. "I… I think I met Gabriella. The day you ran off I caught her trying to steal my wallet."

Scipio lifted his head ever so slightly. "Did she have blonde hair?"

"Yeah," Hornet nodded, "and she wore a bright red coat."

For a brief moment, Scipio smiled and the whole room seemed to light up. "She's pretty isn't she?" He didn't mean to ask; it had just sort of slipped out. Nonetheless, Hornet nodded.

"Really pretty."

"Even with short hair she was…." Scipio turned to Prosper, "I think you'd like her Prop… Prosper?"

Prosper was frowning at his oatmeal. Before long, a tiny smile crept along his lips. "I think I would like her," he admitted, "because I certainly liked her sister."

"Jaymie?" Scipio whispered, "You met her?"

"I'm pretty sure. We… we talked when I gave her some change. She was singing in the market."

Scipio sat up in his chair. He hadn't gone outside since he had returned back to Ida's because he didn't think there was a reason, but now he had suddenly found one. "Is she still there?" he asked hopefully, "Have you seen Jaymie singing since I've been back."

Prosper and Hornet exchanged glances. "She came back yesterday," Prosper said, "but Ida didn't want me to tell you until… well until things had sort of calmed down."

"Do you think I can see her?" Scipio asked, "I need to see if she's okay. I'll be back, you can trust me, I just… I need to see."

Prosper bit his bottom lip and he glanced at Hornet. Hornet's brown eyes sparkled as she said, "Do you swear you'll return?"

Scipio nodded.

"Be back soon and we won't tell Ida. She'll be asleep for a little longer."

Hornet and Prosper smiled at Scipio, who grinned back, and once again the whole room seemed to light up.

-

-

-

There she was, standing in the market singing her heart out. After what had happened, Scipio was surprised to see how… clean Jaymie looked. Her hair looked washed, her eyes only had faint circles below them, plus she was wearing a bright blue sweater that looked new.

The hat lay out in front of her, and Scipio jingled the change in his pocket to make sure he had some. Hesitating, he began walking towards her and he knew she had spotted him.

Bending down slightly, he put all the change he had in the hat, and to his disappointment she stopped singing. Scipio snapped back up.

"No, I didn't mean…" he stuttered, "you can keep…. I mean I want you to keep singing."

To his relief, Jaymie smiled, almost as if she was being visited by a memory. "Hey," she spoke softly.

A lopsided grin smacked Scipio in the face. "Hey," he said after a moment, glad they were on speaking terms. He paused before saying awkwardly, "You look great. Not that you didn't look great before, just…" He stopped, embarrassed and feeling his face flushing. Jaymie just smiled sweetly at him.

"I… I've found a new home." Jaymie began, "The cop who came to me let me live with him and his wife. They're names are Dylan and Yvonne, and they have a three year old girl who they let me take care of, so it's like I have a stepsister –" she froze. At the word "sister" they both thought about Gabriella. For a moment Scipio felt his throat tighten.

"Dylan helped me burry her," Jaymie whispered as she dropped her eyes. Scipio nodded, relieved. He didn't want to picture Gabriella left in a dumpster or thrown into one of Venice's canals.

"Jaymie," he began, "I'm really sorry. Whatever I did, I didn't mean –"

"Don't," she stopped him, "you did nothing. I shouldn't have blamed you for anything because nothing was your fault. If anything you helped Gabriella live a few extra hours." Jaymie paused. "You did nothing wrong. Everything had to do with my mom and her boyfriends… and me."

She looked back up at Scipio, her grey eyes looking sad but hopeful. "Most of it has to do with me and… and I miss her so much Scipio. But I'm hoping that Dylan and Yvonne's baby girl will be like a second chance, I'll get to treat her like a real sister."

"Jaymie?" Scipio took a step forwards, "I really miss her too." Jaymie's face lit up, as if she were relieved that she had someone who understood what was going on with her, and with that she hugged him. He hugged back, and they both knew that the hug symbolized that things were going to be okay. Okay between them and everything else.

They pulled away. "They caught them," Jaymie suddenly said, her face flashing with excitement, "I told the Dylan what Marco looked like and where he usually hung out and they were finally able to catch the Bloodhounds."

"You're kidding me!" Scipio exclaimed, glad that they were going to be able to get through this together without some gang stalking after them, "Everyone will be so relieved when I tell them."

Jaymie gave him a look. "You found a home?" she asked.

"Uh… yeah. It's kind of a long story which I'll probably tell you sooner or later, but they're my friends who turned into my family." He grinned, "I heard you met one of them? Does Prosper ring any bells?"

Jaymie's face lit up. "Aww, my little friend. Believe it or not he gave some really good advice," she laughed, a beautiful laugh that seemed to drown out all the other sounds of the marketplace.

God, Scipio thought as he just realized it, Jaymie is just as gorgeous as her sister. He knew it was probably time to go back to Ida's, but he didn't want to leave her just like that.

"Do you want to meet them?" he asked hopefully, "I mean, I want you to meet them. If you like Prosper then you'll love his younger brother Bo. And then there's Hornet who's really smart and spunky and –"

"Scipio!" Jaymie laughed again, "I don't need an explanation on everyone, but yes. I'd love to meet them."

"Really?"

"Really."

Picking up her hat with one hand, Jaymie slipped her other hand into Scipio's hand. Together they began to walk forwards, both realizing how beautiful their lives were turning out to be.

The End

**A/N: SO THAT'S THE END!!! I hope you all liked it. I know, the last line is sort of random but I don't think it's that bad :D R&R**

**x0**

_Vintage88_


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